Cheating Scandal Triggering TJ Change
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Anonymous
And the proof of this is where? (and once again, you'll find some excuse as to why you simply can't provide proof or you'll link to dcum threads, because you're just a lying troll). |
Anonymous
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https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/906227.page
Guys, this is as close to the "scandal" as I can find. One prep center was doing too good. I can see they prepped similar tests and the students, in their excitement and remember they are 14, boasted that they got the "exact" prep question. Harvesting past test question isn't cheating. Guys. |
Anonymous
Here you go. You can see other references to Curie in other TJ Vents posts as well if you do a simple search - explaining how students had to give up their clubs in order to do Curie and the like. https://www.facebook.com/tjvents/posts/pfbid0jKy4hotXF8AxKwfHm2MAVi7e2yYoCqtrTTXPYsszAdQg6uMoTmReMidqyM1mpu9Bl |
Anonymous
Thanks for posting something. I'm still not sure how much weight to give something anonymously posted on social media, especially when the poster didn't personally attend Curie or claim to see the test. In the comments, there weren't any kids who corroborated seeing the test at their prep center. |
Anonymous
It's understandable and forgivable that you don't know this, but at TJ among the students, the details of this situation are generally accepted and understood. |
Anonymous
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All this crap about Curie can be true but it still doesn't change the fact that all the email traffic between the board members discussing this change was concerned about the embarrassingly low number of black and hispanic students at TJ. It still doesn't change the fact that they specifically discussed and dismissed the negative impact it would have on asians and only asians.
There is really no denying the changes were driven by a desire to racially balance the student population at TJ. A desire to put race ahead of merit. Some of the effects of this racially driven change are not horrible. Higher FARM population, more diversity, lower overall stress level surrounding what is essentially a random admissions process, lower overall stress level at the school because only about 1/3rd of the kids would have gotten in under a merit based admissions process. But the end result is a less competitive school and a bunch of gifted kids stuck at their base school. |
Anonymous
Fake stories about Curie are a innovative marketing technique. Now we are learning that Curie also has summer courses that are getting filled fast. |
Anonymous
| I’d take Langley, McLean, Chantilly, or Oakton over TJ in a heartbeat now, if zoned for those schools. On the other hand, if TJ is your alternative to Annandale, Mount Vernon, or Justice, it’s a different analysis. |
Anonymous
Huh? This sounds like the Princeton review and how it helped thousands in the 90s prep for the SAT. I may be wrong but I kind of remember they had their own teachers sign up for and take the SATs regularly |
Anonymous
Any of those schools are fine. And none of them are a STEM magnet school. |
Anonymous
| Just how many locations does Curie have and is their placement test that difficult? The number of times Curie receives a mention, almost sounds like it has more enrollment than the public school itself. We are not even from Northern Virginia, but curious to know. |
Anonymous
Not just a hallucinated story, but a business growing creation. Curie summer courses are diverse, few AP level and lot of stem subjects. |
Anonymous
3. QUANT-Q DOESN’T RELEASE MATERIALS The company that offers Quant-Q intentionally does NOT release materials to the public - it’s very different than SAT, ACT, etc. They want to “measure your natural ability”. And test takers agreed to not share any parts of the test. https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/04/26/is-the-no-1-high-school-in-america-thomas-jefferson-fairfax-discrimination/ “The firm that markets the math portion of the test, Quant-Q, doesn’t release materials to the public, a practice that should make them harder for test-prep schools to crack.” Based on the NDAs, any test prep books or companies that obtain and share example quant-q test questions may have been unethically, or even potentially illegally, produced. https://insightassessment.com/policies/ “Test Taker Interface User Agreement In this agreement, each person who accesses this interface is called a “user,” and whatever a user accesses is called an “instrument.” Copyright Protected: The user acknowledges that this online interface and everything in it are proprietary business property of the California Academic Press LLC and are protected by international copyrights. Except as permitted by purchased use licenses, the user agrees not to reproduce, distribute, hack, harm, limit, alter, or edit this interface or any part of any instrument or results report, table or analysis stored in, generated by, or delivered through this interface. Non-Disclosure and Non-Compete Agreement: The user agrees not to copy, disclose, describe, imitate, replicate, or mirror this interface or this instrument(s) in whole or in part for any purpose. The user agrees not to create, design, develop, publish, market, or distribute any comparable or competitive instrument or instruments for a period of up to four years from the date of the user’s most recent access. Non-Disclosure and Non-Compete Agreement By accessing the Insight Assessment online testing interface or purchasing a preview pack or instrument use licenses, all clients acknowledge that the on-line interface and the testing instrument(s) it contains or displays include proprietary business information, such as but not limited to the structure of test questions or the presentation of those questions and other information displayed in conjunction with the use of this testing interface. In the absence of a specific written agreement between the client and Insight Assessment, the client agrees that by purchasing a preview pack or testing licenses, the client and their organization, shall not disclose, copy, or replicate this testing interface or this testing instrument(s) in whole or in part in comparable or competitive product or interface of any kind. In the absence of a specific written agreement between the client and Insight Assessment, the client agrees that by accessing the testing instrument(s) for any purpose, including but not limited to previewing the instrument(s), the client and the client’s organization shall not create, design, develop, publish, market, or distribute any comparable or competitive testing instrument(s). By clicking the “Agree” button, the user acknowledges reading, understanding, and agreeing to abide by the statements above and by all the policies and notices posted on Insight Assessment public website(s).” "Remember that the goal of a critical thinking assessment is to measure your natural ability to think critically, so there’s no need for extensive preparation. Just be yourself and approach the assessment with a clear mind." |
Anonymous
It’s different than SAT. Because of the nature of the test, testing “natural abilities”, Quant-Q doesn’t release public materials. 2. CONCERN ABOUT TJ PREP INDUSTRY There was also public concern about the TJ test prep industry that led, in part, to changes in the admissions process. By reverse engineering the admissions criteria/process, prep companies offered kids an unfair advantage in admissions. In fact, back in 2017 the SB switched to quant-q, which intentionally didn’t share prep, in an effort to reduce this unfair advantage. https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/04/26/is-the-no-1-high-school-in-america-thomas-jefferson-fairfax-discrimination/ “ “Is it gonna once again advantage those kids whose parents can pay to sign them up for special prep camps to now be prepping for science testing as well?” Megan McLaughlin asked when presented with the new plan. Admissions director Jeremy Shughart doesn’t think so. The firm that markets the math portion of the test, Quant-Q, doesn’t release materials to the public, a practice that should make them harder for test-prep schools to crack.” This has all been discussed countless times on DCUM. Feel free to go read old threads for more details. It was well known in my affluent area that you could greatly improve chances of admissions by paying $$$ for prep classes. 3. QUANT-Q DOESN’T RELEASE MATERIALS The company that offers Quant-Q intentionally does NOT release materials to the public - it’s very different than SAT, ACT, etc. They want to “measure your natural ability”. And test takers agreed to not share any parts of the test. https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/04/26/is-the-no-1-high-school-in-america-thomas-jefferson-fairfax-discrimination/ “The firm that markets the math portion of the test, Quant-Q, doesn’t release materials to the public, a practice that should make them harder for test-prep schools to crack.” |
Anonymous
Curie is quite popular in Northern Virginia, but for advanced students. Curriculum is rigorous with middle school math, english and science subjects. Most enroll, but only a few complete the entire program. |